Honda Super N review

Buying a small electric car used to mean a choice between zero desirability or eye-watering monthly payments. The Honda Super-N is the latest in a new wave of tiny EVs that make that dilemma a thing of the past.

That’s because unlike Honda’s previous attempt at building a small EV – the stylish but comically priced Honda E – the new Super-N is surprisingly affordable. It costs just £18,995 (and that striking purple paint job is even thrown in for free).

There are some pretty big catches that we’ll come onto later, but the good news is the Honda Super-N undercuts the Fiat 500e on price and costs about the same as an entry-level BYD Dolphin Surf. The Renault Twingo will be a key rival too, although that isn’t due to arrive in the UK until early next year.

The Super-N is smaller than all of those cars, though. In fact, at just 3599mm long, it’s the smallest proper car you can buy in the UK. And while it isn’t a retro remake of one particular model from a bygone era, it features obvious styling cues from various historic Hondas, including the E, the City Turbo II from the 80s and even a tiny model from the late 60s called the N360.

How fast is it and which motor is best?

The Honda Super-N’s electric motor develops just 63bhp when you’re in the regular driving modes. That isn't much at all, although acceleration is still nippy enough in urban environments.

Out on the open road, the Super-N starts to feel rather sluggish, and officially takes 14.5sec to wind its way from 0-62mph. Fortunately there is a solution to that: a purple button on the steering wheel labelled ‘Boost’.

Press this and parts of the dashboard glow purple to tell you a total of 94bhp has been unleashed. Okay, that still doesn’t exactly turn the Super-N into a Hyundai Ioniq 5 N rival, but it does drop the 0-62mph time to a much more respectable 10 seconds. That’s quicker than an equivalent BYD Dolphin Surf or Renault Twingo, and not far behind an entry-level Fiat 500e.

Is it agile and is the ride comfortable?

Chances are you’ll mostly be driving your Super-N in town and the ‘burbs, and in these environments it’s a boon. It’s actually based on a Japanese Kei car (a tiny subset of cars that qualify for various tax breaks in Japan) but the UK version has been heavily modified and part-developed on British roads.

That probably explains why ride comfort is pretty good. With such a short wheelbase (the distance between the front and rear wheels) the Super-N inevitably doesn’t iron out road imperfection as well as larger and pricier alternatives, including the MG4 Urban. But it’s nowhere near as bumpy as a Dacia Spring or Leapmotor T03, and offers similar levels of comfort to the Dolphin Surf.

The turning circle isn’t quite as tight as in a 500e, but manoeuvrability is still decent and the Super-N’s tiny footprint makes parking a doddle.

Venture out onto the open road and the Super-N feels surprisingly stable, and with the Boost mode engaged, you won’t be able to resist attacking some corners. Do so and you’ll find that the Super-N hangs on surprisingly well (no doubt thanks to its special Yokohama tyres) and there’s less body lean than in a Twingo.

We like the steering, too. It’s fairly slow, but naturally weighted and gives you a confidence-inspiring sense of connection with the front wheels.

Is it quiet and how easy is it to drive smoothly?

Being such a small car, the Super-N doesn’t isolate you from the outside world especially well – but then the same is true of most similar-priced alternatives, including the 500e and Twingo. The Dolphin Surf is a bit more hushed at high speeds, but then you’re not likely to be cruising down the motorway very often in your Super-N, anyway.

It’s easy to drive smoothly thanks to a predictable response from the accelerator pedal and a feelsome brake pedal that isn’t at all grabby. There are also paddles behind the steering wheel to adjust the level of regenerative braking, altering how quickly the car slows itself when you lift off the accelerator, without touching the brake pedal at all.

But there’s more: pull the left-hand steering-wheel paddle for a couple of seconds and the paddles switch their function to making manual ‘gearshifts’ instead. The Super-N has a single-speed transmission like most electric cars, but thanks to similar technology as Hyundai uses with the Ioniq 5N, the Super-N can mimic a petrol hot hatch with a seven-speed paddle-shift gearbox, with realistic jolts as you change and and down.

There’s even a soundtrack to help you gauge ‘engine revs’, although this is less convincing than the ‘gearshifts’; the noise is similar to an arcade game from the early 90s.

What’s the range like, and how quickly can it charge?

Here we come to our first big problem – or at least potential problem. You see, the Super-N has an official range of just 128 miles, which in the real world will probably translate to about 70 miles on an icy February morning.

True, the cheapest Fiat 500e has an even short official range (117 miles) and an equivalent BYD Dolphin Surf isn’t light years ahead (137 miles). The forthcoming Renault Twingo can go usefully farther (163 miles) but it’s still hardly ideal for road-tripping.

In short, all EVs in this price bracket are pretty limited when it comes to range. That’s fine if you do most of your driving around town and have a second car for longer journeys. But if you need to travel a long way between charges and you can stretch your budget a little, take a look at the MG4 Urban, Peugeot e-208 or Renault 5.

The Super-N can charge at speeds of up to 50kW. That means a 10-80% top-up takes as little as half an hour. But remember you’re filling a very small battery (29.6kWh gross capacity), so that’s only going to add another 90 miles of official range – and a lot less than that in the real world.

“Some might think it’s a silly gimmick, but I think the Super-N’s fake paddle-shift gearbox adds a welcome dollop of fun. I just wish the simulated engine noise was a bit more realistic.” – Will Nightingale, Reviews Editor

What does the interior look like and is it well made?

The shape of the front seats (and their colour scheme) is inspired by those in the City Turbo II from the early 80s, but otherwise there’s nothing overtly retro-looking inside the Super-N.

There is, however, lots of hard grey plastic, and while it’s textured in a way that prevents it from looking too cheap, some fixtures and fittings do feel rather flimsy. We’d say overall quality is roughly on a par with the Renault Twingo, and a step below the BYD Dolphin Surf.

Ambient lighting (that changes to purple when you select Boost mode) helps brighten up the otherwise dark grey ambience, and the steering wheel is trimmed in pleasing-feeling leather (or rather faux-leather). 

Is the driving position comfortable and is it easy to see out?

One issue with the driving position is that the steering wheel doesn’t adjust for reach (only height). That means you might struggle to get comfortable behind the wheel, particularly if you’re tall.

A 6ft tester of ours didn’t find the limited adjustment a huge issue – although he had to sit a bit closer to the pedals than he’d have ideally liked.

More positively, the driver’s seat is comfy and there’s plenty of side bolstering to hold you in place when you’re going around faster corners. Slender, upright pillars give you a good view down the road and diagonally at junctions, and there’s a reversing camera to help with parking.

Are the dashboard and infotainment system easy to use?

Honda is one of a select group of modern car makers that still prefer to use proper buttons on their dashboards – and that’s a good thing. It means adjusting the air-conditioning on the move requires a tap or a twist of something physical, rather than faffing around with distracting touch-sensitive buttons or icons on a touchscreen.

The latter is something you have to do in the BYD Dolphin Surf, although the Fiat 500e and Renault Twingo also have proper physical controls for their air-con systems. 

The 9.0in touchscreen infotainment system is nothing special, but the screen features fairly crisp graphics and responds quickly to prods. And while the operating system isn’t anywhere near as user-friendly as the one in a Twingo, you can effectively just bypass it entirely and use Apple CarPay or Android Auto smartphone mirroring.

The Super-N also has an 18-speaker Bose stereo (including a subwoofer in the boot). It’s punchy and sound quality is good, especially considering the low price point.

“I found it easy to see the 7.0in digital driver display; it wasn’t blocked by the rim of the steering wheel” – Will Nightingale, Reviews Editor

How much space does it have for people?

You’ll enjoy plenty of head and leg room in the front seats, even if you’re tall. The only issue is elbow room; the Super-N is a narrow car, so you do feel a bit hemmed in.

There’s only one cupholder between the front seats, but there is another on the dashboard behind the steering wheel, which is actually easier to reach while you’re driving. There’s also a big ledge on the dashboard for your phone, and while the door pockets are quite small, they can each hold a 500ml bottle of drink.

You’re probably expecting rear space to be absolutely terrible, but it’s a lot better than you might imagine. There’s more rear legroom than in a Fiat 500e (along with rear doors) and you can recline the angle of rear seatbacks. There are only two rear seatbelts, but that’s the same in a 500e and Renault Twingo – and you really wouldn’t want to put three people in the back anyway.

How much room is there for luggage?

The reason rear space is better than expected is because the boot is absolutely tiny – even smaller than a 500e’s. There’s just 162 litres of space, which is enough for only two carry-on suitcases.

On the plus side, there’s enough underfloor storage for the changing cable and no lip at the entrance. The opening is nice and broad, too, plus you can fold down the rear seats for a completely flat extended load bay.

Honda’s Magic rear seats feature seatbases that can be flipped up (a bit like the ones in a cinema). This leaves the completely flat rear floor area for extra storage; this is especially handy if you need to collect tall plants from your local garden nursery. 

“Given the Super-N’s tiny main boot I had hoped to find some extra storage under the bonnet, but alas there isn’t any” – Will Nightingale, Reviews Editor

How much does it cost and what equipment do you get?

The Super-N costs £18,995, which is less than any Fiat 500e and only slightly more than an entry-level BYD Dolphin Surf. That’s despite the fact that Honda’s smallest car isn’t eligible for the Government’s electric car grant.

There’s only one trim level and it comes really well equipped, and includes the eight-speaker Bose stereo we mentioned earlier, adaptive cruise control, a heated steering wheel, heated front seats, keyless entry and automatic air conditioning. The purple paint job (called Boost Violet Pearl) is also thrown in with the price, although you can switch to white, black, dark blue or grey if you’re prepared to pay extra.

As long as you haven’t gone for black for the rest of the car, you can also pay extra to have a contrasting gloss black roof and rear spoiler. You can even add stripes on the bonnet, side and roof.

Is it reliable and how long is the warranty?

The Super-N is brand new so it didn’t feature in the 2025 What Car? Reliability Survey. There’s reason for optimism, though, because Honda as a brand finished top of the manufacturers league table, beating even Lexus.

And as long as you get your Super-N serviced at a Honda dealer according to the service schedule, the warranty will extend up to a maximum of eight years. That cover extends to most components – not only the drive battery.

How safe is it, and is it easy to steal?

This is a big unknown, because although the Honda Super-N has loads of active safety aids to hopefully prevent you from having an accident in the first place, this is a very small car with no Euro NCAP safety rating. 

What’s more, there’s unlikely to ever be one. Honda says this is a low-volume model so is unlikely to be crash-tested. 

“The Super-N will be offered with a tempting PCP finance offer. Put down a £2999 deposit and you can drive one for four years for just £199 a month.” – Will Nightingale, Reviews editor

Buy it if…

– You need a cheap runaround for the city

– You like the styling

– You value fun over space

Don’t buy it if…

– You need to travel big distances

– You need to carry lots of luggage

– Safety is a top priority

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